A missed appointment is a missed opportunity for both the patient and the medical practice. Many times, patients fail to understand the importance of why they need to return for an appointment, and therefore do not make it a priority. In fact, many of them end up canceling or not showing up for their appointment.
I am a data nut. I analyze data. I can tell a physician where they are losing money within 10 minutes of looking at their procedure reports. I can tell them where they are failing to provide comprehensive care. The number one reason for lost revenue across all specialties: Patients not returning. The main reasons […]
Have you ever used these phrases? I would recommend… We can either treat it this way or treat it that way. It is your decision. It is my recommendation to… I would encourage you to consider…. Would you like me to prescribe…? Here are all your options… What would you like to do? If you […]
You want to be a physician and only a physician. You want to see your patients and go home at the end of the day. The last thing you want to do is deal with the business aspect of your practice. This is not why you went to medical school, and frankly, you don’t have […]
As a medical consultant and practice manager, I am often asked, “What are your top management pearls?” Without further ado, here are my top 5: Always collect insurance information over the phone from a patient. Always call and check benefits for standard procedures or DME that will be dispensed. Know a patient’s deductible/ co-insurance and […]
Mrs. Jones, age 72, arrives for her 11 a.m. appointment on Tuesday. She is coming in to get a refill on her cholesterol medication. The Medical Assistant: escorts her to the exam room where Mrs. Jones shares that she has a sore throat and is not feeling well takes vitals notices that Mrs. Jones temp […]
You know your practice needs protocols and spent time developing them, but now these valuable protocols are not being followed. WHY? These are the biggest reasons: 1. Your protocols are not hanging on the wall. You developed the protocols together as a clinic, but guess what? No one is going to remember them. Laminate your […]
Recently, I had the pleasure of hosting a protocol building workshop at IPED. We had a group of 30 physicians that came together to develop in-office protocols. It was an amazing experience to get the input of so many incredible physicians. One question that was asked was: “Should we build separate medical protocols for each […]
When my husband and I started his podiatry practice from scratch, I did everything. I was the medical assistant, the biller, the front desk associate, and the practice manager. In a nutshell, I did it all. During that time, I came to the realization that protocols were the life blood of a practice. Instituting proper […]